Ameravape Technologies

So much of what’s great about e cigs comes out of California, especially e juice. You will not be surprised to learn, then, that a mod manufacturer is located in Carlsbad, California: Ameravape Technologies. Their most famous item so far is the Manhattan, a fully mechanical modifiable e cig which, in name at least, pays homage to one of the most cosmopolitan parts of the country.

Premium Competition Mod and Vape Equipment

The Manhattan is a competition mod so you will produce huge plumes while using it. It costs anything from $185 to $270, varying between suppliers and also according to the version of Ameravape Technologies’ Manhattan you are using. They are finished in black, flat black, red, blue, copper color, silver, army green, white, and you can mix and match pieces too. There are also titanium, brass, copper, stainless steel, and aircraft-grade aluminum varieties.

Get to Know the Manhattan Mod

The longest setting for a mod is 18650, referring to the large battery inserted into its tube. In this case, 18650 is the only size accepted into the tube which measures just 3 ¼” by almost 1″. This mod is unregulated and is operated using a rare earth magnetic button.

You can re-order every part individually, such as pins and the button. Ameravape products are de-burred by hand and CNC-machined at their workshop. About a year of design and planning went into its conception and creation, from the brass firing button to aluminum top and bottom caps; from copper contacts to a derlin insulator. Use this mod for up to 50 watts safely and with sub-ohms.

Another Mod

Choose the 364 Naval Brass mod measuring 22 mm in diameter and using an 18500 battery, making it mid-sized. This unit incorporates quick-threading technology for direct atty-to-battery connection. You could pay as little as $75 for the Manhattan’s little brother.

Patriotic Engravings

Wrapped into the company name and logo is the importance of vaping patriotism. Each device is engraved with “AV” featuring stylized stars and stripes. It’s very American, especially when you are vaping Californian e liquid.

Voltage Drop

One feature of the Manhattan, which users have discovered, is the issue of voltage drop. You can still vape at sub-ohms, but be aware that voltage will fall fractionally, more as you vape at lower resistance.

Bad Advertising

An e cig reviewer wrote a review of the Manhattan late in the spring of 2014 after receiving this device from Ameravape for this purpose. In such a situation, it is understood that the reviewer will express his opinion honestly, not fearing the outcome of any negatives.

Up until now it might have seemed that vendors were most at risk from the possibility of reading bad things about their products. In this case, the result was a threatening response for the reviewer who said some honest things, but did so tactfully. His approach was honest, open, and diplomatic. He was fair, and most comments from his readers felt the same way. Ameravape, however, did not feel he was fair.

Comments referred specifically to venting, or lack of venting. A few readers were drawn to this concern, perhaps not realizing what a problem the lack of vent holes could be when heating a battery to high temperatures inside a metal tube. This could become an explosive device inside an unregulated e cig. Mind you, explosions have not been reported (except when vapers use mini cigs with the wrong USB chargers).

Ameravape Technologies not only argued that the reviewer’s experience could not have been accurate, but they told him to remove the part of his review that pointed out this issue lest they be forced to bring him to court. What followed was as series of customer responses demonstrating the importance of handling criticism with dignity. Ameravape lost a lot of customers in the wake of this unfortunate incident. The reviewer earned a lot of respect for his dignified handling of things.

A Sad Turn of Events: Ameravape Technologies Review

What saddens me most as an e cig reviewer is that American manufacturing is already severely overshadowed by production from the Philippines and Korea. Even Greece has turned out some popular mods, but USA-made products are lesser-known.

Authentic, limited edition, serialized mechanical mods, RDAs, and RBAs like the Megan Chi You, Turtleship, Kraken, Vanilla, and others get far more press than the Manhattan. Maybe the most well-known American device is the Tobh Atty, followed by Hana Modz, and these are exceptions that prove how well-known Pinoy mods are in the United States.

Then there are the Chinese SmokTech, Innokin, EHPro, and HCigar devices costing a quarter of the price. Many clones secure their manufacturers a big markup while saving vapers money as they enjoy several features of a top-flight mod without the additional cost.

Vapers recognize many American labels and companies (brands of e cigs, vaping superstores, vapor lounges, et al), but very few items used by vapers (apart from e liquid) are manufactured in the United States. If Ameravape can recover from this exchange, that would be gratifying. The US needs more home-grown talent. If the company needs to make some alterations to ensure the safety of their customers, this can be handled while a name change takes place. Sometimes that’s enough to deflect negative attention until a company’s reputation recovers. It’s happened before.

Ameravape Technologies Recap

So, if you haven’t been turned off by Ameravape Technologies, remember that they are selling solid products and that their venting issue is not unique to the Manhattan. If you question it in their case you have to question every mechanical mod’s safety.

I would point out that their price for the Manhattan isn’t all that bad considering it’s made in the United States: you could expect to pay about the same price for many of the Pinoy mods that are so popular. Moreover, it’s possibly the smallest mod of its kind at just over 3″ long. Give them time to prove they at least considered the venting issue seriously.